Live Rock Question

[kospaintball]

Ok. So we all use live rock as a means of filtration right? And to kind of build up a structure to put our corals on in our display.

I was wondering. Is it better to have two 1lb rocks or 1 2lb rock?

My tank is a 14 gal and i have roughly 23 lbs of live rock in there. How ever, the bulk majority of that weight is this one 17 lb rock. I was just wondering if it would have been better for me to have used several rocks that would have given me more surface area of rock instead of one big one.

[CAVINCA]

Depends on your rock... basically I would think more surface area. The big thing though is to get the most porous/less dense rock you can afford.

if you could get one large very porous 2 pound rock it would be better than 2 1 pound very dense rocks.

Surface area includes all those little pores on the rocks surface. a smaller rock with lots of pores on the surface could have WAY more surface area than a larger smooth stone.

[ReefLady]

Carl is right. Also a couple things -- one large piece is more stable than a number of small pieces stacked. However, if you ever want to move things for any reason, smaller pieces are easierr to work with. I always found a "mix" of sizes, with larger pieces as the "base" worked well.

[kospaintball]

Thanks for the help =D

I have this other question about live rock.

I often see these two different shaped live rocks. Ones that are skinnier and branched and the general.... well ... rock shaped one lol

Is either of the shapes any more beneficial than the other?

[ReefLady]

There are actually several "types" / shapes of live rock - shape is often determined by where it comes from. The "rock" rock is typically Fiji. The branched rock can be MI (Marshall Island), although this has been more difficult to come by in recent years, or Tonga Branch. There are many other types as well. Each type with bring with it different life, colors, shapes - it's pretty much aesthetics - what you want in your tank. Some rock is less dense/more porous than others.

[CAVINCA]

Depends on how you want to aquascape. Generally the branched rocks would give you better hiding caves and such. The regular shaped rocks are good for using as base rocks.

[CAVINCA]

Originally Posted by ReefLady

There are actually several "types" / shapes of live rock - shape is often determined by where it comes from. The "rock" rock is typically Fiji. The branched rock can be MI (Marshall Island), although this has been more difficult to come by in recent years. There are many other types as well. Each type with bring with it different life, colors, shapes - it's pretty much aesthetics - what you want in your tank. Some rock is less dense/more porous than others.

Agreed. You may be tempted with some very porous Lava rock or volcanic rock, Steer clear of this stuff. Most of it actually has a lot of sharp edges that could hurt you or your animals. marshall island rock is some of the best. Tonga Branch isnt to bad either.

[kospaintball]

I wouldn't ever consider the lava rock thing anyway. I figure it is for the garden so it wouldn't be too good for my tank lol.

When i ment branching type i ment ones that were like the stalk of a trumpet coral but much wider and longer. Is that what the marshal island rock looks like?

[ReefLady]

Sounds more like Tonga Branch:



Marshall Island looks more like this:

[kospaintball]

Is there a general shape of which type of live rock would be more porous than others?

What are the general ways to tell what is a good rock to get?

[CAVINCA]

Originally Posted by kospaintball

Is there a general shape of which type of live rock would be more porous than others?

What are the general ways to tell what is a good rock to get?

Shape and porous? No. However you may get more surface area from a branching rock rather than a 'round' rock. The water can also move better through the branching rock.

To find good rock you can look at the size of the rock/pound ratio.
If you have a choice between 2 one pound rocks and one is twice the size of the other, the larger rock is the better.

In other words the rock that looks like a sponge is better than the rock that looks smooth like a marble.

[ReefLady]

I think the Fiji is known to be pretty porous. As far as "good rock" - it is really what you want. Different shapes appeal to different people. If you have a smaller tank, you might want to find a LFS that sells nice LR, and just hand-pick a few "premium" pieces - whatever colors, shapes, life on the rock, etc. looks good to you.

[kospaintball]

Right on. What is lace rock btw? I see it every time i leave the LFS. Its in a box dried out sittin on the ground and it looks as though it would make good support rocks but what is it?

[ReefLady]

To the best of my knowledge, "lace rock" is a type of lava/sedimentary/tufa rock -- it does not come from the ocean.
There has been a lot of debate about how safe it is to use in a reef tank, but I believe the consensus is that it is okay, as long as it is washed well to rid it of any dirt/organic matter (it's dug out of the ground).

It's usually pretty cheap, and comes in some very interesting shapes.

[kospaintball]

Yea all the pieces i have seen kinda look like shelving to me.

Thanks for all your help. =D